Tag Archives: never give up

Coach Kubiak-God Sends Leaders

28 Thursday Jan 2016

Posted by in Diabetes, Family, First and Goal, Football

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With the Super Bowl coming up, I’d like to share excerpts from the most amazing football devotional! Jake Byrne’s FIRST AND GOAL – What Football Taught Me About Never Giving Up.  Denver Broncos Head Coach Gary Kubiak is taking the team to the Super Bowl! The devotional shares one of Jake’s experience under Coach Kubiak 

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Coach – The coach is the man in charge, the guy responsible for the entire team. When the team wins, every fan boasts that it’s because of the coach. When the team loses, fans and media blame him. He is motivator, teacher, and leader. The coach sculpts players into the best athletes they can be in order to win games. He’s also the guy who calls the plays.

 Playing for the Texans against Indianapolis in 2013, we were up by three touchdowns after a few weeks of losses.

images-1 copyAt halftime, our morale high, we headed toward the locker room with Coach Gary Kubiak behind us.

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Texans vs. Colts photo by Holly Michael

Nearing the tunnel, a collective gasp rose from the stadium. My teammates and I stopped and turned. Our leader had fallen onto the ground! Medical staff rushed to his side and officials cleared the crowd away from the scene. An ambulance soon hauled him away. Without the rock that held us all together, without our leader and play caller, we didn’t score again and lost that game.

Later, we discovered our head coach had a ministroke. Already dealing with a losing season, the team’s morale couldn’t get much lower. Then, more bad news. Coach Kubiak was let go. The one man in the organization who was loved by all, the one we trusted and respected, was gone. I’d never seen lower spirits in any team or group of people. The Texans didn’t win another game that season.

Then the Lord said to him, “This is the land I promised on oath to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when I said, ‘I will give it to your descendants.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you will not cross over into it.” And Moses the servant of the LORD died there in Moab, as the LORD had said.” Deuteronomy 34:4-5

Moses—the leader of the Israelites for 40 years—was not allowed to take the people into the Promised Land because he disobeyed God.

When Coach Kubiak was with the Texans, he was a well-loved coach—like Moses was for the Israelites—always taking care of the team and putting players’ interests first. Like Coach and Moses, even beloved leaders can fall or fail unexpectedly. Either way, the team suffers. Our hearts went out to the revered man, but we also worried about what would happen to us. Who would lead us?

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Has someone you admired fallen, failed, or suddenly disappeared from your life? That makes for tough times. You wonder if you’ll pull through. After Coach Kubiak was fired, Wade Philips, defensive coordinator was named as the interim coach that 2013 season and the remainder of a shaky team ambled through a losing season.

God sent Joshua to lead the Israelites into the Promised Land. Later, in the fullness of time, God sent Jesus, His Son, to earth—as God and human—to live among us and be our Savior. When we’re in need of a leader, we don’t have to worry. God always sends someone. We must regroup and move on but never give up.

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Coach Gary Kubiak was hired as the Broncos head coach on January 18, 2015. This Super Bowl Broncos’ Head Coach, Gary Kubiak is the 1st person in NFL history to make a Super Bowl as both a player and head coach with the same team.

12592553_971975222892063_5929848364222004930_nJake Byrne grew up in Rogers, Arkansas. A type 1 diabetic since the age of fourteen, he has since been proactive combating the disease and mentoring diabetic youth. He played football for the University of Wisconsin as a tight end, and went on to compete in the NFL. Originally an undrafted free agent who signed with the New Orleans Saints in 2012, he has also been a Houston Texan, Kansas City Chief, and San Diego Charger. Jake lives in Dallas with his wife, Emma, and two four-legged kids: Duke the Dogo Argentino and Yeti the Great Dane.

Best cover.jpgBack Cover Blurb for First and Goal:

Jake Byrne dreamed of playing professional football. He had the size, the talent, the drive…but at age 14, he found out he also had type 1 diabetes.

Still, Jake was determined to reach his goal. And God was determined to guide and empower him all along the way.

Jake’s journey to the NFL is the backdrop for this collection of inspiring devotions based on nearly a hundred football terms. Jake takes you to the weight room, practice field, and even across the goal line. You’ll feel as if you’re lined up next to him, facing a very large defender you’re about to take down. He also includes Scripture and then ties up each story in a way that feels real and encouraging. You’ll discover…

* what to do when God calls an audible in your life

* how to respond when God puts you on special teams

* why prayer is never an incomplete pass

These quick daily readings will help you press through your own difficulties and experience God’s dream for you.

Jake blogs at www.typewon.net.

He can be reached through the following social media:

Facebook Page (Type Won): http://www.facebook.com/typewon1

Twitter: @sugarfreejb82

Instagram: Jakebyrne81

Email: typewonquestions@gmail.com

To Purchase First and Goal

 

 

Be a Philanthropist. Be Inspired. Give the Best Gift EVER!

09 Monday Nov 2015

Posted by in Diabetes, Family, First and Goal, Football, Jake Byrne

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imagesDid you do the ice-bucket challenge for ALS? A great cause, for sure.

But…whether you took the challenge or not, here’s an amazing challenge for National Diabetes Awareness Month (November) that won’t give you a cold head. Instead, you’ll get a warm heart and an awesome personally autographed copy of a #1 Amazon Bestseller signed by a former NFL player. BOOM!  

Through the month of November, my son Jake is giving $1 to the JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) or to Beyond Type One for each copy sold of his devotional book, FIRST AND GOAL – What Football Taught Me About Never Giving Up.  

JDRF AD 3

Awww…isn’t he cute? (I’m the mom, I can ask that, but he is cute, right?).

Anyway, Jake would love to personally sign any message in his devotional book to you or a loved one on your good list. An amazing Christmas gift, right? And if someone is on your bad list, maybe they need this book!

FFirst and GoalIRST AND GOAL is getting great reviews and has been trending as a #1 bestseller in several Amazon categories. So you have that….and you get a warm fuzzy feeling in your heart for helping the JDRF support a cure for Type 1 Diabetes. So hop down to the link below! We really want to give a big check to help support a cure for Type 1 Diabetes

LINK TO ORDER JAKE’S BOOK ($19.99) AND $1 GOES TO SUPPORT THE JDRF or BEYOND TYPE ONE (you pick). Go! Be A GIVER. SUPPORT A CURE. BE INSPIRED by this amazing devotional for anyone you know who needs to be encourage to #NeverGiveUp. 

Don’t know much about Type 1 Diabetes?  Well, you should. it’s National Diabetes Awareness Month, so below is information from getdiabetesright.org to make you more aware.

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And just in case you are still thinking about ordering an autographed copy of Jake’s book…do it. It’ll be the best gift under the tree! LINK TO ORDER JAKE’S BOOK ($19.99) AND $1 GOES TO SUPPORT THE JDRF or BEYOND TYPE ONE (you pick). 

Happy November!

Holly

Not Falling for Mr. Pumpkin

13 Tuesday Oct 2015

Posted by in Books, First and Goal, Football, Inspiration

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In his short devotional from First and Goal, my son Jake (former NFL player) shares about his pumpkin patch experience when he was five. Yes, I was embarrassed, but did I expect less from a kid who scoffed at the idea of the Easter Bunny at age three? Nope.

598660_10151457603074942_866131723_nDisguise Coverage: When the defense adjusts its coverage to trick the offense. The defense will align in one form of coverage and shift to another after the ball is snapped to prevent the offense from recognizing which type of coverage they are using. They usually switch their alignment and make you think they are going to do one thing when they are actually attempting something else.

imagesWhen I was five, my mom took my little sister and brother and me to a pumpkin patch. We met a crowd of kids talking to a pumpkin. Well, not exactly a pumpkin, but a four-foot round orange object with dark mesh covering the eye and mouth openings.

The scene did not sit right with me. I wanted to understand this odd pumpkin being, but I’d given up believing in the Easter Bunny at age four because I couldn’t fathom the idea of a six-foot-tall bunny who filled kids’ baskets with candy once a year. Rabbits don’t get that big. And talking pumpkins? No way. Didn’t fly with me.

That autumn day at the pumpkin patch, I took a step closer to Mr. Pumpkin. “You’re not really a pumpkin.”

Mr. Pumpkin chuckled low. “Why, sure I am, little boy.”

I asked him a lot of questions, like if he was a very short guy, or a kid that could fit inside the pumpkin, or a guy standing somewhere else and talking into a microphone. While I attempted to solve the pumpkin patch mystery, my mom tugged me away from the murmuring crowd. She frowned and said parents were upset because their kids actually believed in that orange dude. Apparently, I’d ruined the day for a few innocent, trusting children.

False messiahs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and wonders to deceive, if possible, even the elect (Matthew 24:24).

From a young age I was a straight shooter who didn’t put up with nonsense. I didn’t like to be tricked even in fun. Though Mr. Pumpkin probably hadn’t engineered an evil plan to lead kids down a bad path, I felt it was better to recognize what was real and what wasn’t so I didn’t get tricked. That was my take back then. It still is today.

In football, the disguise coverage can trick us and throw us off. You have to be on your toes and aware. The same applies to all life situations. The wise recognize liars, false prophets, and false teachings. Maintaining spiritual insight keeps us on track with God’s plan.

Confused? Got questions? When in doubt, ask God, seek His wisdom, study Scripture, and talk to your pastor or a trusted Christian friend. But don’t be tricked, even if the rest of the crowd is lured into false teaching.

12016186_10156044039905635_176705038_oFirst and Goal

Jake Byrne dreamed of playing professional football. He had the size, the talent, the drive…but at age 14, he found out he also had type 1 diabetes. Still, Jake was determined to reach his goal. And God was determined to guide and empower him all along the way.

Jake’s journey to the NFL is the backdrop for this collection of inspiring devotions based on nearly a hundred football terms. Jake takes you to the weight room, practice field, and even across the goal line. You’ll feel as if you’re lined up next to him, facing a very large defender you’re about to take down. He also includes Scripture and then ties up each story in a way that feels real and encouraging. These quick daily readings will help you press through your own difficulties and experience God’s dream for you.

Jake Byrne grew up in Rogers, Arkansas. A type 1 diabetic since the age of fourteen, he has since been proactive combating the disease and mentoring diabetic youth. He played football for the University of Wisconsin as a tight end, and went on to compete in the NFL. Originally an undrafted free agent who signed with the New Orleans Saints in 2012, he has also been a Houston Texan, Kansas City Chief, and San Diego Charger. Currently, Jake and his wife Emma life in Dallas and have two furry kid–Yeti the Great Dane and Duke the Dogo Argentino.

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Jake blogs at www.typewon.net

He can be reached through the following social media:

Facebook Page (Type Won): www.facebook.com/typewon1

Twitter: @sugarfreejb82

Instagram: Jakebyrne81

Email: typewonquestions@gmail.com

First and Goal, published through Harvest House Publishers, can be purchased at many books stores and online booksellers. Link for Book at Amazon: http://amzn.to/1FAYKo8

Touchdown Dance!

15 Saturday Aug 2015

Posted by in Betsy Byrne, Books, Christianity, Diabetes, Family, First and Goal, Football, Jake Byrne, Nick Byrne, type 1 diabetes

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Touchdown Dance

Football Season is here!

One year ago today, after playing for four years as a tight-end for the Wisconsin Badgers, Jake scored his first touchdown in the NFL.

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So proud of my son, a type 1 diabetic, who has overcome incredible odds and has grown up to be an amazing man, now married to the lovely Emma.

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Today, Jake has a book published by Harvest House Publishers: First and Goal – What Football Has Taught Me About Never Giving Up.

Ever want to know what goes on in the mind of a player when they score that first NFL touchdown…especially when they prepped for the touchdown dance? Here’s an excerpt from Jake’s devotional: First and Goal….

Touchdown Dance A player’s celebration of his touchdown catch in the end zone. Spiking the ball and some dance moves are allowed, but not other stuff the NFL deems as excessive celebration.

“Got your end zone show planned for your first touchdown?”

Seated on the couch in my San Diego apartment, I caught the football my brother Nick tossed to me. He’d come for a visit prior to our football camps—his as a Ragin Cajun tight end in college and mine as an NFL Chargers tight end.

“You gotta have swag and set your own style, you know. Like Terrell Owens when he carried a sharpie in his sock, signed the ball, and threw it to the fans.”

“That’s illegal now.” Football in hand, I leaped off the couch. “How about this?” I busted out in a smooth dance move and then spiked the ball.

“Too complicated.” Nick laughed. “Too bad you’re not playing for the Packers. It’d be easy to do the Lambeau Leap into the stands. Just don’t be a copycat and do the dirty bird or pretend to make a cell phone call. Those are done.”

Coached by Nick, I perfected a simple but signature dance move.

A couple of months later, during the second preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks, at the end of the fourth quarter, Coach called a time-out and the play that would send me into the end zone to catch a touchdown pass. The play down, the end zone dance in my head, I geared up for my big moment.

Everything went as planned. I released as if to block and the defense took the fake hook, line, and sinker. I was unaccounted for. In this preseason game, the Seahawks had me marked only as a blocker. I ran my route as Kellen Clemens lobbed the ball toward me.

Perfect catch!

Touchdown!

Stunned and in awe, I froze. Zach Boren, a teammate who was also with me on the Texans, jumped all over me. Everyone was hopping up and down, attacking me. I thanked God and looked at the ball. Still in my hands.

Signature dance move! Gotta do it.

It was too late. I couldn’t remember the moves Nick taught me. I tried a sorry attempt of a power spike and ran off the field. Still flying high and flustered, I forgot to run out for the next play. If not for the two-minute warning, I would have received a penalty.

After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. Just then there appeared before them Moses and Elijah, talking with Jesus. Peter said to Jesus, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. If you wish, I will put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah” (Matthew 17:1-4).

I had the sequence planned out for my touchdown, but stunned and caught up in the moment like Peter, I forget my end zone dance. Only the glory of the moment mattered.

Standing before the Son of God, Elijah (a great prophet), and Moses (the law-giver), Peter wanted to build a tent and stay, not realizing the moment would be fleeting. I understand that. Entranced in my moment of glory and overpowered by the immensity of the experience, I didn’t want to leave the field.

Peter’s amazing experience was so much greater than my touchdown moment, but definitely both were moments in which God blessed us. During times in your life where God’s grace is evident, revel in the moment and thank Him, but don’t forget that when the moment ends you have to get back to reality to avoid a penalty.

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My youngest son, Nick, just starts his football season with the Ragin Cajuns at the University of Louisiana, Lafayette. Proud of both of my sons and my lovely daughter, Betsy, who is studying and teaching at the University of Louisiana-Lafayette. All amazing kids who have grown up to be superb adults. #Proudmomof3 

11709758_10204379746803993_808037302279955618_nJake’s book is available through most booksellers. Online at Amazon http://amzn.to/1FAYKo8